The quality of UVA (320-400 nm [nanometer]) and/or UVB (280-320 nm) screening is linked to the degree of absorption and to the screening bandwidth of the screening agents present in the composition.
Current photoprotective compositions use the following as screening agents:                soluble or insoluble organic screens; and/or        inorganic pigments.        
As regards the first category, the absorption spectrum is rarely broad enough to cover the whole UV spectrum. Combinations are necessary.
As regards the second category, the screening effect is due to absorption, and also due to light diffusion phenomena. Thus, the spectrum is broader due to those phenomena.
While diffusion can broaden the screening spectrum, it reduces selectivity and the compositions may appear slightly colored, which is not desirable if the user wants to have a natural appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,298 discloses pigments having an interferential multilayered structure intended to be incorporated into photoprotective compositions to screen infrared and visible radiation and produce a coppery color by interference.
A need exists to combine both screening with high spectral selectivity and also satisfactory transparency in the visible region.
The aim of the invention, inter alia, is to satisfy this requirement. The invention resides in the idea that certain interferential pigments may prove effective in achieving this objective, namely being sufficiently colorless and transparent in the visible region and relatively opaque in the UV region.